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Songs of Love

This collection highlights objects at the Smithsonian that relate to love and music. Most of the objects fall into one of three categories: art depicting love and music, images or memorabilia of a musician with love song "hits," or sheet music. Some of the selected art pieces portray personifications of love and music, while others depict stories or people that connect the themes of love and music.

Love is a popular theme in music, and many musicians are particularly known for their love songs. The Smithsonian has a large collection of memorabilia related to well-known musicians, largely at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History, as well as a number of portraits and photographs at the National Portrait Gallery. The selection here includes objects from these collections that relate to musicians well known for their love songs.